it's definitely not the book; it's more of a story set around the plot of the book. i feel like many key elements in the book were left out, so the actual story of the little prince felt kind of trivialized.
i also don't really know that any age group would be able to appreciate this film fully--there are a few layers to the plot, so i feel like it would be hard to keep up with for young children, but at the same time the voice acting and portrayal of the "adult world" feel so contrived and exaggerated that it takes away from the emotional effect it might otherwise have on older audiences. if they were to keep the plot of the film, i feel like it may have been better to just gear it toward an older audience, especially since the message would be more applicable to them, and keep the portrayal of the world a little more realistic. that might have been more effective in getting the point across; as it would expose the flaws in society as it stands today, rather than implying that we're not quite so badly off yet.
that said, the stop-motion animation was gorgeous, visually there was a lot of attention to detail, and the concept was great. i just feel like the execution just left a lot to be desired.